I'm the CEO of TiqIQ.com, which is the leading ticket search engine online. I started my professional career as a writer covering New York technology in 1996. I've been fascinated by the ticket market from a young age and remember trying to understand what drove the market in front of Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden. After working in eCommerce for much of my career, I decided to start a company dedicated to tracking those prices with the benefit of technology and helping consumers get the best possible deals.

Allman Brothers Annual Run At Beacon Theater Is Most Expensive Concert Residency In Country

When the Allman Brothers started their residency at the Beacon Theater in 1989, Ronald Reagan had recently delivered his farewell address to the nation and Rain Man was best picture. 25 years later, the Allman Brothers are still going strong and fans of the southern jam rock legends are paying top dollar to soak in the annual jam session in New York City. This year, the average price for Allman Brothers tickets for their three-week run is $419. Over the course of their 14 shows at the historic Beacon Theater, the band will play shows on Friday, Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Saturday nights are the most expensive of the run with an average price of $517, while Wednesday night’s are cheapest at an average price of $387. Below is a chart of the average and get-in price for each night. Over the course of their residency, the Allman Brothers have played the 2800-seat Beacon 222 times, which is in a league of it’s own when it comes to the residency format. As of late, it seems that the music world, however, is catching up the Allman brothers approach to picking a spot and settling in for a few weeks, or longer. Based on prices for the other residencies, however, no one is paying more than Allman Brothers fans.

With the announcement of his 12th show at Madison Square Garden, Billy Joel is the latest and highest profile East coast residency. While the price for tickets at Madison Square Garden started out at an average price on the secondary market of over $500, they’ve since come down. The average price for Billy Joel tickets to the 11 currently-scheduled shows at MSG is now $343, or 18% below the average price for Allman Brothers tickets. Of course, the 39,000 seats that the Allman’s have to fill over their run at the Beacon is the equivalent to only two nights at Madison Square Garden. In addition to Joel and the Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh is also taking up an East-coast residency, at the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY. Formerly a regular haunt for the Grateful Dead, Lesh announced last year that he’d play 30 shows at the Capitol over the course of 2014. Currently, there are 10 shows scheduled, all in April. Phil Lesh tickets for the run have an average price of $259 and start around $150. If you’re looking for more residencies in the tri-state area, Queen is making an announcement at Madison Square Garden tomorrow, and there is speculation that they may be taking of residency at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, if not the main arena.

In addition to the recent-spate of east coast residencys, Las Vegas continues to host extended runs by artists who are looking to ‘get off the bus’ but also continue generating serious touring income. Currently, the queen of the Vegas residency is Britney Spears, who is playing an open-ended residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Britney Spears tickets currently have an average price of $327 for the 20 upcoming dates, which currently run through September. Another Vegas mainstay, Cher, has gone in the other direction. After wrapping up her three-year, 200-show residency at Caesars Palace in 2011, Cher is about to embark on a 40-city tour across the country starting on March 22nd. Titled ‘Dressed To Kill’, it will be her first travelling show in eight years, and the current average price for Cher tickets on the tour is $274. The 2nd most expensive show of the tour is her return to Las Vegas, where she’ll be playing at the MGM Grand. At an average price of $425, it trails only the show at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. It also goes to show that even for the most seasoned of resident performers, you can come home again. For anyone who wants to see those homecomings, be prepared to pay up.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.